R-Type Final

Irem closes the curtains on the Bydo Empire for good. Luckily it takes its bow with dignity and grace.

Graphics Irem has spared no expense in taking advantage of the PlayStation 2 hardware, and R-Type Final proves it. Practically everything on the screen has some kind of lighting effect, with explosions, animations, and even morphing effects constantly happening. The backgrounds especially are particularly inspired with some great interpretations of the future and plenty of subtle touches to keep you noticing hundreds of times. And while Final isn't as colorful as the upcoming Gradius is, its varied palette makes terrific eye candy. Epileptic fits could be a possibility.

Unfortunately all this color and action comes at a price: slowdown. Particularly bad in the third stage but noticeable in all of them, the lagging framerate can get pretty troublesome. We know that it's always been a trade-off in this genre for sure, but with the advent of new technology and games like Bangai-O and Mobile Light Force proving that slowdown isn't always the rule, it's pretty disappointing to run into it here.

Sound While the music is definitely solid (especially the slow, symphonic bits) R-Type Final's soundtrack is still surprisingly weak compared to some of the other games in the series. Mostly electronic in nature, it seems to lack the organic energy and proper mood that drove the prequels along so strongly. Some might be interested to know that In some areas of the game the score boasts the song "Piano Smasher" from Blue Man Group (more information on which, can be found in this article at IGN Music), but even that didn't particularly strike us as a defining moment. Though we do have to mention that Stage 3's ominous Goth tune fit right in and stands out as the best track on the list.

Sound effects fare much better and offer up a nice variety of different gunshots, explosions, and metallic clangs. The sheer number of different audio snippets is pretty impressive really, and is probably the most we've heard in a game of this type in a long time -- if ever. Too bad it doesn't support Dolby Pro Logic or another form of current-gen encoding, though. The sound effects would have sounded even better if it had.

The Verdict

Shooting fans and old school gamers are likely going to fall in love with R-Type Final the moment they play it -- even if its gameplay aspects aren't exactly cutting edge. But cutting edge isn't really what it's supposed to be. In all truthfulness, it's designed to be an ode to the games that came before while being as faithful as possible to the fans that helped make the series what it was in the first place. Except for the slowdown part. We're pretty sure the team didn't want to bring that particular aspect along with them.

Technical hitches aside, R-Type Final has plenty to offer its interested parties. From the game's alternate paths and armada of ships, to its in-depth information gallery and bizarre CPU vs. mode., shooting fans have just about everything they're looking for. It's not a perfect game by any means, but it's a deep and entertaining tribute to one of the greatest shooting games of all time. We're glad that Irem couldn't say goodbye any other way.